Pesto Polenta Fries with Spicy Aioli from Greens 24/7 + A GIVEAWAY!

When I first started blogging there were a handful of blogs that always blew me away with the tastiness of their recipes, the quality of their writing, and the beauty of their photography. One of these blogs was Cupcakes and Kale. Jessica Nadel, herself, was so cute and down to earth and totally one of the bloggers I just knew I would be friends with if we’d ever met (it wasn’t nearly as creepy/stalkery as it sounds). Then she started her own bakery and I couldn’t have been more happy for her. And then she had the most adorable baby boy, named Woodrow (cutest name ever!), and each of her updates on him put the biggest grin on my face. And now, I am just beaming for Jess because she has just come out with her own cookbook, Greens 24/7.

I’d heard about the book several months before it came out and I couldn’t wait for it to be released. When I finally got my hands on it, I couldn’t have been more thrilled- both for Jess and her huge accomplishment and because this book is fantastic! My friend, Jackie Sobon of Vegan Yack Attack, did all of the photography so of course, every page is stunning. What really shines, though, are the recipes.

Jess managed to come up with a book full of recipes based around green vegetables and instead of all being a.) green and b.) all vegetable-y looking (as one might expect), they all look incredibly drool-worthy and inviting and many of them, you can’t even tell there’s a vegetable in them at all! I mean there’s a Chocolate Zucchini Cake that looks to die for and with there’s no trace of green anywhere.

The first recipe I chose to try were the Pesto Polenta Fries with Spicy Aioli because I love all things polenta and pesto and I wanted something munchy. I was really excited about the pesto for this recipe too- The Kale Walnut Pesto. I was pretty excited about getting some kale into the mix and sneaking it into my fries. I love the richness the walnuts gave to the pesto as well.

The fries couldn’t have been more simple to make. Just cook up some polenta, add the pesto, and then spread it out on a baking sheet and let cool until solid. Slice into strips, bake and, not to sound like Emeril, Boom- you’ve got polenta fries!

We also really liked the spicy aioli which is basically a mixture of sriracha and vegan mayo with a splash of citrus. Sriracha + Mayo = A Guaranteed Win in my book. Because Jess is the best and so is our publisher, The Experiment, I get to share the recipe with you guys!

These polenta fries are a breeze to whip up and are a huge crowd-pleaser. You can even prepare the polenta a day in advance so that you only need to slice and bake it—just be sure to cover the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap to keep the polenta from drying out.

Ingredients

3 ½ cups (875 ml) water

sea salt

1 1/3 cups (200 g) cornmeal

¼ cup (60 ml) Kale and Walnut Pesto (see below)

Vegetable oil, for baking

for the spicy aioli

½ cup (125 ml) vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce

squeeze of fresh lime juice

for the kale walnut pesto

2 cups (140 g) kale, woody stems removed

1 cup (45 g) fresh basil leaves

½ cup (50 g) raw walnuts

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add a pinch of salt and stir to dissolve, then slowly add the cornmeal, stirring constantly.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the pesto and continue to stir until the polenta mixture thickens significantly and pulls away from the sides of the pot. This will take anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes.

Scoop the polenta onto one of the prepared baking sheets and press it down to a ¾-inch (2-cm) thickness; it will be very sticky so use a silicone spatula or even wet hands. Allow the pan to sit for 1 to 2 hours to allow the polenta to set; you can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process.

Once set, the polenta is ready to be sliced into fries. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), then slice the polenta with a sharp knife, or use a pizza cutter.

Transfer the fries to the second baking sheet, brush or spritz lightly with vegetable oil, and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the fries halfway through, until they are slightly browned and crispy on the outside.

Meanwhile, mix all the aïoli ingredients together in a small bowl.

Remove the fries from the oven, season with a little salt, and serve with the spicy aïoli for dipping.

to make the kale walnut pesto

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Season to taste with pepper and more salt.

The Experiment is also being so kind as to let me give away a copy of Greens 24/7! The giveaway will run until 11:59pm on February 17th, 2015 and is open to US and Canadian residents only (sorry everyone else!). All you have to do to enter is comment below, telling me your favorite green vegetable and your favorite way to use it. A winner will be chosen at random.

ALSO, thank you to all who entered last week’s giveaway for a copy of 100 Best Juices, Smoothies, and Healthy Snacks! Congratulations to our winner, Natasha (she has been notified via email)!

Thank you all for stopping by and thank you to Jessica Nadel and The Experiment for letting me review this awesome book! Have a great day!

Gee, my favorite green vegetable??? that is a hard one. I love them all but I love Kale and Spinach and Chard, There is nothing like Beans and Greens for lunch or dinner. Broccoli is up there too but I like it just steamed with lemon and garlic. Green beans, peas, green pepper, oh my I could go on and on and on and………………………….

I embrace all green vegetables. To classify, my favourite roasted green is Brussels Sprouts, my favourite raw crunchy green is broccoli, favourite versatile green is zucchini, and favourite leafy green is … whatever is freshest at the farmers market 🙂 I love them all raw, but my favourite green bowl of greatness is zucchini noodles with chiffonade swiss chard (and tomatoes) with a lemony kale pesto. Although a roasted broccoli-Brussels slaw with tahini-Sriracha dressing does have a special place in my heart too …
Clearly, a book for Greens 24/7 is totally my jam!

So many delicious green veggies to choose from!! I guess I’ll land on red curly kale. Not only is it wonderful in fresh juices, soups, and even tucked in a veggie burger with a slice of onion and tomato, but it’s a powerhouse of nutrients. How can you go wrong with that?

My favorite green veggies are definitely the leafy ones! I’ll generally just get what looks best and saute it in a little oil, easy peasy. When I want something a bit more indulgent, there’s nothing like creamed spinach or kale (made with cashew cream, of course).

Oh man…I’m still having my yearly winter love affair with roasted Brussels sprouts, but I recently discovered the usefulness of collards. They have been sautéed, wrapped and crisped just this week alone.

I couldn’t pick just one, but every day I eat asparagus and broccoli, so I guess I’ll go with those two. And pesto? You could put it on a shingle and it would still be delicious.Abby recently posted…Food Marketing 101

My favorite green vegetable is KALE!! I’m obsessed! I love to add it to my morning smoothies with a banana, coconut water and pineapple. I also love to make a delicious vegan kale ceasar salad with chickpea croutons that is to die for. The possibilities are endless with Kale :).

Hmmm, favorite of all time is probably sugar snap peas. My mom wouldn’t let me pick them from our garden for dinner, because there wouldn’t be enough left for everyone else! Favorite green veg right now in this season is probably brussel sprouts–which I never had until I was in my 20s!

Ooh, tough to name one! Hummusapien’s maple roasted brussels sprouts come to mind, roasted broccoli with hummus is a great snack and kale is good with pretty much everything! With so many tasty greens, how do you pick just one!?!

My favorite green veggie at the moment is kale. I use it in my delicious green smoothies. I first mix the kale with coconut milk to help break up the kale leaves, and then add whatever else I feel like drinking that day – frozen or fresh fruit, hemp seeds, chia seeds, or tofu for example. Yum!

I love broccoli raab, we grow it in our garden every winter and spring. I cook it with broken linguini, tons of garlic and red pepper flakes, all in the same pan adding water slowly, like making a risotto. It’s the best!

Fresh green herbs of all kinds. They are such potent cleansing and health building foods; full of trace minerals, antioxidants and flavor! I like to make a “smoothie” with red grapefruit, celery, cucumber, baby greens, flat leaf parsley, a little mint and a little cilantro.

While I I love kale and hardly ever a week goes by without it, my most favorite green veg would have to be brussel sprouts. We like to roast them simply with salt, pepper & olive oil and the occasional dusting of nutritional yeast. They are so fun to eat!

i think i’ll have to choose asparagus… how could you possibly go wrong with perfectly tender, market-fresh asparagus paired with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice?
plus, fun fact: proper etiquette allows asparagus to be qualified as a “finger food” when it isn’t served in a sauce.

Brocoli! I loved it as a kid, then I hated it as an older kid, and now I love it again as an adult. My favorite way to eat is to simply roast it in the oven with a teensy bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I am always struggling between choosing kale and collard greens at my local CSA. Kale is great in so many dishes and smoothies, but collard greens taste AMAZING in BBQ sauce and beans to make sloppy joes.Jennifer recently posted…The Asian Vegan Kitchen Review

My favorite green is KALE because it’s a year-round veggie in my garden. The tender spring greens burgeon into summer abundance. In fall the lower leaves have been harvested and the woody stem is bare with a crown of small leaves making it look like a miniature palm tree. In the mild maritime climate of Washington state, kale overwinters beautifully with small leaves emerging slow but steady. When spring comes around again the seed sprouts start forming. Harvested before the flowers open, they are more tender and succulent than the best broccoli you’ve ever tasted — fantastic steamed or stir fried. With several kale plants having overwintered I can never keep up with the sprouts. Inevitably many of the sprouts erupt into delicate yellow blossoms that attract bees. After pollination the seed pods form and the process comes full circle. There are so many fantastic ways to eat kale but my favorites are wilted salad…and kale chips…and steamed sprouts. Yum.

I have my oven heating as I type this, to put polenta in it! I made it earlier tonight and just happened upon this post. While mine is going to be plain, yours looks fantastic. Anyway, my favorite green vegetable is Brussels Sprouts; I like to roast it with salt, spices, and oil and love when the outer layers become crispy.

Kale, kale, kale! My favorite way to eat is as kale chips, because I love to CRUNCH on salty crispy snacks. It feels SO much better to eat a whole bunch of kale rather than half a bag of chips when I’ve got that craving!